8 Iconic American Restaurant Chains That Went Out Of Business
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624,165
Published 2015-11-16
Our list:
8: Bennigan's
7: Chi-chi's
6: The Ground Round
5: Kenny Rogers Roasters
4: Sambo's
3: Burger Chef
2: Mister Donut
1: Steak and Ale
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Production Information:
Music:
"Acid Jazz" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
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All Comments (21)
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I miss Chi Chi's. Where else can you get awesome Mexican food made by white people? Portland?
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My first job at 16 in 1978 was busboy at Sambo's at 8 Mile and Grand River. Yes THAT 8 Mile...
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"Premium dining establishments, like Applebees...." LOL!
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Steak & Ale was our best date back in the 80's and on the cheap (relatively).
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I grew up in Baltimore, and there were many regional chains which were very popular a few decades ago which have since gone the way of the brontosaurus. Shakey's Pizza, Farrell's Ice Cream, Jack's of Lombard Street, White Tower Hamburgers, Gino's, Roy Rogers, etc. And of course there were many other chains we loved which were national chains as well - Howard Johnson's, Arthur Treacher's, Pappy's Pizza, etc.
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Does anybody remember Shakeys Pizza, I used to go there when I was a kid, they would show Little Rascals movies, they had pretty good pizza too.
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Only one Chi Chi's restaurant had an outbreak of hepatitis. It was the one at Beaver Valley Mall in Monaca, PA. Three people died and hundreds had to come to the local community college sports dome to get shots. The problem was discovered to be a shipment of green onions (or scallions) from Mexico. These are somewhat difficult to wash thoroughly. The entire shipment was eventually recalled. One of those who died was a friend of mine, John Spratt.
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Shout out to everyone old enough to remember the cigarette vending machines in half the restaurants in the US. ✌
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Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour. Best birthday party place when I was 7.
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Loved Sambos when I was a kid, even had a stuffed Sambos tiger. One of my few good childhood memories.
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The Ground Round and Mister Donut were great.
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While some were sold or re-branded, the MAJOR reason most of them closed was due to the decreasing quality of the food sold. You cut quality, even in a low quality restaurant and you reach a point people stop coming as the food sucks! It happens to these places all the time, cut cut cut, you reach a point where the price is too high for the product served. This almost happened to McDonalds.
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Burger Chef also had the works bar where you could build your burger. They also pioneered the sausage and egg biscut. Not all of the Mr. Donut's are gone. There is still one in Alton, Il that operates under the name Mr. Donut.
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I remember Burger Chef in Detroit along with Steak & Ale. Both were favorites.
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So sad. All the great mid-century architecture, bricklaying and postmodern European style that those great 60's-70's chain restaurants had. Even the swaggiest, swankiest(and tackiest) decor, still looked damn cool and Hipsters and vintage kids would be flocking to those type of establishments today to take selfies and eat classic, vintage 1950's-70's grub, if they still existed. Modern-day joints look like stucco truckstop slophouses with pre-fab everything and as much style as the inside of a Costco.
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Chi-chi's: "Sanitation inspections, SANITATION INSPECTIONS? we don't need no stinking sanitation inspections."
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I wish I had been able to eat at a Howard Johnson's, Red Coach Grill, and Walgreen's. I also wish Pizza Hut looked like they used to and the pizza tasted like it used to.
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My wife and I loved Steak and Ale. Could not figure what happened
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Thank you for NOT using a computerized voice......
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I grew up eating at Burger Chef, and Sambo's. Not all the time, but when we went "to town" and we'd eat before going home. I ate at Bennigan's, and Steak &Ale. We had good food. Oh, the time we went to Bennigans(was in Detroit area) my brother in law said he saw a big spider scurry across the table, me and my sister were out of the room at the time. I wasn't geeked-out, i just laughed, making sure it was nowhere in sight before i sat down.
